U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,980 discloses an electrical rider vehicle which has a dead man's switch which triggers the application of brakes. The known vehicle is equipped with a control which releases the brake and enables normal transport operation of the vehicle at different speeds by an operator on the operator's platform. The control has a selector switch in order to switch between a normal operating mode and a coasting operating mode. In the coasting operating mode, the mechanical brake is released and the propulsive drive is actuated via a jog switch which is provided on the side of the vehicle and can be actuated by an operator walking alongside. During use, the operator can, when the desired location has been reached, switch the vehicle into the coasting operating mode and thus keep the brake released. The operator can leave the operator's platform and the vehicle continues to coast for a short distance before stopping. Subsequently, the operator can actuate the jog switch so that the vehicle moves at a walking speed, with the user walking alongside the vehicle. If the jog switch is released, the vehicle again coasts to a standstill.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,144 discloses a switch assembly on the head of a tiller arm which has a pair of switches which can be actuated by an operator walking alongside the vehicle. Through an actuation of the switch, the vehicle travels next to the operator at walking speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,313 discloses an industrial walkie truck which has a dead man's switch. A high speed operating mode and a low speed operating mode are provided for operation. Further, a coasting system is provided to automatically bypass the dead man's switch of the vehicle when the latter is in a slow driving operating mode. Coasting operation is ended when the high speed operating mode is activated. In the high speed operating mode the dead man's switch automatically positions the tiller arm in a vertical or horizontal position in which the vehicle is decelerated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,025 discloses an industrial walkie truck in which the tiller arm is held in a substantially horizontal position by a holding device. The holding device prevents the tiller arm from automatically positioning itself in its vertical braking position so that a dead man's switch is bypassed during coasting operation. The known industrial walkie truck also has a mechanical high speed travel button which, when actuated, enables the vehicle to be operated at a higher speed than walking speed. As a result of the actuation of the high speed travel button, the holding device for the tiller arm is released so that the dead man's switch is automatically activated again in the high speed mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,306 discloses an industrial walkie truck which has a jog switch. During coasting operation, the vehicle can be accelerated by actuation of the jog switch, in order to roll to standstill in the direction of a pick-up point located nearby. In order to activate the vehicle brake, a coasting terminating switch is provided which activates a dead man's switch for the vehicle brakes. The known vehicle is further equipped with a direction-detection means for a steered wheel wherein the jog switch is blocked when the steered wheel is not directed straight ahead.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,665,555 B2 discloses a tiller guided industrial truck which, during an activated coasting operation, keeps the tiller arm in a position determined by the operator. The tiller arm is held in the position via a hydraulic cylinder wherein a movement of the tiller arm in a first direction is impeded while a movement of the tiller arm in a second, independent direction can take place unhindered. When the coasting operation is ended, the tiller arm is hydraulically released again.
In the aforementioned state of the art, a dead man's switch is always provided for safety reasons, the dead man's switch being temporarily bypassed for coasting operation of the vehicle by holding the tiller arm. When changing from coasting operation to high speed operation, the holding of the tiller arm is always lifted in order to provide a dead man's switch for the high speed operation. What is disadvantageous with this approach is that the held tiller arm is always released even for high speed operation of very short duration.